WASHINGTON, D.C.: The U.S. Department of Justice kicked off its landmark antitrust trial against Google this week, warning that the tech giant could use artificial intelligence to further entrench its dominance in online search.

In opening arguments, DOJ attorney David Dahlquist told the court that Google's market power must be checked before AI technologies allow it to extend its control even further. "The time to tell Google and all other monopolists who are out there listening, and they are listening, that there are consequences when you break the antitrust laws," Dahlquist said.

The case—brought by the DOJ and nearly every U.S. state—seeks aggressive remedies, including forcing Google to sell off its Chrome browser. Prosecutors argue this is necessary to restore competition as search becomes more intertwined with generative AI tools like ChatGPT.

Dahlquist said the court must take a "forward-looking" approach to remedying Google's behavior, noting that witnesses from OpenAI and Perplexity AI will testify on how the search landscape is rapidly evolving and how Google's dominance impacts their businesses.

Google, valued at US$1.9 trillion, has criticized the lawsuit's scope. The company says the proposed remedies are extreme and would undermine the open-source foundation of the Chrome browser, which is used by competitors like Microsoft. Google argues that limiting its default search agreements would be a more appropriate remedy.

The company also warns that removing its payments to browser developers like Mozilla could threaten their viability and drive up smartphone costs if similar agreements with device makers are scrapped. Google plans to call witnesses from Mozilla, Verizon, and Apple—whose attempts to intervene in the case were previously denied.

The trial follows a separate win for the DOJ last week in Virginia, where a judge ruled that Google holds an illegal monopoly in the online advertising market. It also comes amid ongoing scrutiny of other tech giants, including Meta, which is facing its own antitrust case over past acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp.